Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) and How does it help in navigation

Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS), operational name Navigation with Indian constellation (NavIC), is an indigenously developed autonomous regional satellite navigation system that provides accurate real-time positioning and timing services. It covers India and a region extending 1500 km around it, with plans for future expansion. It is expected to have on accuracy better than 20m. 

Needs for IRNSS : 

•In its absence, India had to depend on satellite systems of other countries rendering it vulnerable especially in the case of hostile situations. 

•The immediate reason to start building indigenous navigation capabilities was the Kargil War in 1999, when USA denied India access to vital satellite based information. 

•With India becoming only the sixth country in the world to have its own navigation system, it is going to improve its standing in the comity of nations. 

•Allowing the neighbouring countries to access the system, India is also projecting its soft power in the region. 

Helpful in Navigation : 

•The system is expected to provide accurate real-time position, velocity and time observations for uses on a variety of platforms with a 24 × 7 service availability under all weather conditions. 

•It will provide two types of navigation services. Standard positioning service for civilian use, restricted service which may be encrypted for authorized uses like the military. 

•It will help the mariners in navigation and the fishermen to get information about the valuable fishing grounds and any disturbances in the sea. 

•It will help in disaster mitigation by providing information about disaster timing, vulnerable areas etc., in the Indian sub-continent. 

Thus, the development of IRNSS is expected to be a great leap forward in satellite navigation technology for the country.